ACROSS FAMILIES/ Philosophy
Epistemology
How can a claim be known?
Epistemology examines the grounds, possibilities and limits of knowledge. In research it concerns how observation, interpretation, measurement or participation warrants claims, and the relationship between researcher and what is studied. It is distinct from ontology and from methodology, although all three should form a coherent argument in a study.
WHEN IT FITS
Use when explaining why your chosen evidence can answer the question, how interpretation enters the enquiry and which kinds of conclusions the study can reasonably support.
Strengths
- Makes standards of warrant and evidence explicit
- Clarifies differences between measurement, interpretation and co-construction
Limitations
- A label alone cannot justify analytic decisions
- Paradigm taxonomies vary across authors and disciplines
Know the boundary
Epistemology is not synonymous with qualitative research; quantitative evidence also rests on epistemological commitments.
USED ACROSS
Banking & financeBusiness & MBAPsychologyComputer scienceEducation